Because Japan is home to extensive forests, wood has long been the dominant material for creating Japanese Buddhist statuary. This statue suffered areas of loss from wood-boring insects, but the topknot hairstyle may distinguish the figure as a type of Bodhisattva Kannon, the embodiment of compassion. Kannon can appear in 33 forms to save those in need. His “third-eye,” a jewel between his eyes, symbolizes his wide-reaching vision of the world and beyond.

A statue of this size may have been part of a larger grouping of figures surrounding a Buddha within a temple hall.